Blog

Love is abundant this February, and we don’t just mean flowers and chocolate! We couldn’t spend our days searching for, tasting, writing about and sharing the most amazing wines from all over the world without our members; we love you guys! So, in keeping with February’s Valentine’s Day – Love is in the Air vibe, we have decided to express our warm fuzzy feelings to our members and their nearest and dearest through our relaunched referral program.

During the month of February, anyone you refer will receive a $25 credit upon signing up for a new WineCollective subscription, and you will receive a $25 credit for each referee who signs up using your name in the referral field! This credit can be applied towards an upcoming subscription payment, or you can use it in our online WineCollective Store to get even more of the wine you love.

Need another reason to tell your friends and family how much you love us? Offer them the coupon code 2LOVEWINE so that they can receive 25% off the first 2 months, when they sign up for their new WineCollective subscription in the month of February.

And a little something extra while you’re waiting for all that referral credit to roll in; use the coupon code LOVEWINE2018 to receive $20 off all orders of $100 or more in the WineCollective online store during the month of February. So much love!

Are you excited about all that 2018 has to offer? So are we! We are looking forward to another year of bringing you the best wines from all over the world and we wanted to start the New Year by showing our support for one of one of our very favourite wine producing nations, Australia. Australia Day is on January 26th and we have decided to show our appreciation for their remarkable wine industry by celebrating all month long!

Did you know that the oldest winery in Australia is Wyndham Estate Winery? Located in New South Wales, it was established in 1828. We think that Australia’s wine industry is fascinating and we think you’ll agree, here are 10 things we found most interesting about the world of wine Down Under:

1. Australia is the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world, with around 700 000 000 litres of wine exported annually.

2. Over 1 billion litres of Australian wine are consumed each year, this math tells us that Australians really like drinking their own wine!

3. More than 2400 wineries thrive throughout Australia over 6 states, with the most planted varietal being Shiraz.

4. Australia has a large organic wine industry and has even hosted the International Biodynamic Wine Forum that includes organic and biodynamic vineyard owners from around the world.

5. The oldest Australian wine producing region is Barossa Valley, you may recognize this as the home of one of our favourite producers, Schild Estate.

6. Australia’s terrain did not originally produce any native grape varietals suitable for winemaking; all varietals for production were transplanted in order to create Australia’s wine industry.

7. Barossa Valley is home to old vine Shiraz and Grenache crops dating back as far as the 1840’s, Australia’s first vines arrived in Sydney in 1788, however it took some time for the vines to thrive.

8. Sometime around 1875, a devastating outbreak of phylloxera (tiny vine eating insects) nearly abolished Australia’s wine industry by destroying thousands of hectares of crops. The cure for this plague came from the discovery that American vines were not susceptible to the damages caused by the insects. American vines were planted and European vines were grafted into the plants, creating a hybrid that was immune to this disease, ultimately saving the Australian wine industry. It took almost a century for the Australian wine industry to recover from this disaster.

9. Following the phylloxera outbreak, Australia’s wine industry was mainly focussed on sweet, fortified wine production. Now, Australia is one of the only countries that produces every major style of wine and there are over 60 wine producing regions throughout the country.

10. Australian wines have won awards at almost every major international wine competition, while setting records worldwide for the price of a single bottle.

In celebration of this great nation, we will be offering discounts on all Australian wines the whole month of January, don’t miss your chance to stock your cellar with some of our Aussie favourites!

Check out our members only WineCollective store to find all Australian wines discounted an additional 10% off our already reduced member pricing!

Not a member? Use the coupon AUSTRALIAMONTH to receive $15 off your first delivery, and gain access to all the savings!

WineCollective is Canada’s largest monthly wine club, featuring exclusive wines, sourced from around the world. This past August, Oakridge Wines were exclusively launched online in Canada through WineCollective, giving our members a first-look at these premium Australian wines. Oakridge wines will soon be available in Canada through the winery’s DTC program. Oakridge wines have been scoring well with critics internationally, and we are thrilled to be the exclusive online retailer and offer our members insight into Gourmet Traveller’s Winemaker of the Year 2017 winner, David Bicknell, Chief Winemaker.

A conversation with David Bicknell, named Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year 2017.

1. Tell us the story of how you came to be Chief Winemaker at one of Australia’s most premium wineries.
When I was recruited to take over the winemaking at Oakridge in 2002, the place was a mess. Nearly everything was broken, including much of the wine in the cellar. So over several years, I worked at putting it back together again, put a fresh face on the winemaking, and generally cleaned away all the mess. By 2008, I had been nominated by AGT for winemaker of the year, so I knew I was on course.

2. In your time as a winemaker, what has changed most in your style from the time you started to where you are now?
The biggest change has probably been vineyard sourcing. That has unfortunately moved around a bit. Early on, we didn’t have the financial robustness to hang on to some of the good vineyards. But luck’s worth a fortune, and more recently, combined with a better, healthy in business, we have been able to secure vineyards that are potentially better still. The wines from the new vineyards are just starting to filter through now. On a winemaking level, there has been a refinement in picking to earlier dates with superior natural acidity, and that combined with lower oak inputs and fermentation with indigenous yeast , has allowed for better expression of fruit without clutter. It is a minimalist expression, with sharp, clean lines. The wines should be fruit flavoured, not tree flavoured. We refer to barrels as wine coffins, where wines go to die if you leave them long enough. We replace less than 8% of our barrels every year.

3. What was the best advice you received when you entered into the winemaking business?
Keep your mind open. If you think you know it all, then you’re probably dead in the water. It’s one of the things I love about the industry in this land. There is a spirit of adventure and a thirst for knowledge. The pervading will of the winemaking community is always find improvement.

4. What do you think the next most popular style will be to come out of Australia? What other trends are on the horizon in the industry?
It may well be a plethora of styles. There is a drive to experiment with alternative varieties right across the country. One of the things we constantly wonder is what would the Australian landscape look like if we had planted more Iberian and Italian varieties rather than the French staples. The staples might work in the cooler reaches, but what about the warmer parts? Most of the wine produced comes from those warmer regions, so expect to see all sorts of interesting and delicious wine wines made from Touriga, Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Fiano, Vermentio, Nebbiolo etc etc

5. What are the most significant changes you have witnessed with regards to how grapes are grown and winemaking processes in your career?
Firstly, A more holistic approach to making wine where the key ingredient (grapes), should not require amelioration to achieve balance. Regions are tending to focus on local hero varieties, where, if you get it right, nothing else needs to be added. Secondly, our ability to cope with climate change. We have had to learn to be more protective of the grapes.

6. What should Canadians know about the recent vintages of Australian wine?
The recent vintages have been very consistent. 2015, 2016 and 2017 are all loaded with good wines. The other thing you have to remember, is that is, like Canada a big country. Most of western Europe fits comfortably inside, so there are a vast range of climates within, so the range of wines is vast too.

7. In your opinion, what is the Yarra Valley’s defining feature that sets it apart from other Australian regions?
Many regions are relatively homogenous. Burgundy is a classic example of consistent geology, geography and varieties. Not so here in the Yarra. We have a mixed ancient geology of both volcanic and alluvial origin ranging from 250-500 million years old (Burgundy is only 200 million years old), and due to our mixed geography with elevations ranging from 90 metres above sea level to 450 metres above sea level, depending where you grow on that scale, almost anything is possible. At the bottom we are a touch cooler than Bordeaux and so can reliably ripen cabernet sauvignon. At the top, a little cooler than Champagne, with only sparkling base capable of ripening. Our focus has been on the mid-sections to grow chardonnay and pinot noir with excellent results.

8. What makes the vineyards you work with unique?
If we believe in the concept of terroir, then all sites, in theory, have a unique taste. We are still exploring that concept and learning what makes these differences and why some vineyards taste better than others. For instance, we are currently working with four different chardonnay vineyards that all make wines of similar high quality, however, all four have distinct differences in both flavour and texture, making them all taste different, despite using the same winemaking technique. In three of these sites, we are the sole producer, so these sets of flavours cannot be reproduced by others.

9. Outside of Australian wines, what region do you gravitate towards when drinking?
In no particular order – Chablis, Burgundy, Piedmonte, the Mosel and Galicia (Ribera Sacra etc).

WineCollective members have received the following wines from Oakridge. As part of the package, members receive our notes and food pairing suggestions. Take a look at our tasting cards and notes to see all that these fantastic wines have to offer.

Do you want to be the host or hostess with the mostest this season? At WineCollective, we have been gathering trendy ideas for creating a lasting impression at your summer gathering and we wanted to share some of our awesome finds with you, just in time for Canada Day!

Not-so-seaside Soiree

Land locked and looking for the perfect beach party this summer? Look no further, we found some great, no beach required ideas for throwing the perfect not-so-seaside beach soiree. When we think of hosting, the name Martha Stewart comes to mind. Check out this awesome recipe from Martha to create your very own stove top clam bake, perfect for creating the ultimate beach party in your own backyard.

Clam bake photo and recipe from marthastewart.com

To pair with this delicious grouping of seafood, we recommend a delightful Portuguese Arinto, or perhaps a lovely French Muscadet easily enjoyed in our backyard ready Wine 2 Go cups .

For some seaside decor, we liked the idea of writing guests names on pebbles to create beachy table place cards for your guests. Follow that up by draping an old fishing net and some sandbox toys over your bar and spend the evening imagining the crashing waves rolling in.

Still want all the campfire coziness without the smoke and tiresome wood chopping? We loved the idea of this smokeless twilight fire pit from Sunset, to brighten up your party. And ditch the unsightly plastic coolers and complete your outdoorsy theme while keeping your beer cold in this super clever canoe cooler from RusticWeddingChic.com.

Photo and string light fire pit idea from Sunset.

Twilight Social

Prefer more of a classic garden party motif, complete with a welcoming ambience and good times all around? We’ve got you covered with some awesome ideas for creating a stunning twilight social.

Photo from ID Lights.

The best part about this theme is the opportunity to use so many kinds of lights to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere. For this look, we recommend finding all kinds of interesting bulbs and lanterns to keep the idea fresh, while delicately accentuating the natural beauty of your yard. We love trees wrapped in lights and lights hanging from branches and fences and pretty much everything!

Although we enjoy the idea of using mason jars as lanterns, we prefer our version of this classic look. Use these specially designed bottle lights to turn your empty wine bottles into beautiful lanterns; casting romantic rays on your pathways and gathering areas, or use them as centrepieces to softly illuminate your starlit dinner.

For this twinkling atmosphere, we suggest some equally dazzling fare such as these delicious and beautiful Nordic open faced smoked salmon tea sandwiches , an ideal way to incorporate your garden into your cuisine, perfectly paired with a delicate and juicy rosé.

We would love to hear about some of your summer or Canada Day entertaining ideas, we hope you have enjoyed ours! Get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @WineCollective to share your ideas for creating an inspired gathering this season!

Search for:

Categories

Categories

Newsletter

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.